Inclined chipper

ABSTRACT

A rotating chipping drum carrying a spiral row of bits is mounted in a hollow body with a portion of its periphery exposed to a chipping chamber for holding log sections to be chipped. The rotative axis of the chipping drum may be inclined to urge a log section toward one end of the chipping chamber.

[ *June 4, 1974 United States Patent Nicholson INCLINED CHIPPER [58] Field of Search." 144/162. 172, 326 A-326 D;

[75] Inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Seattle, Wash.

[ 1 Notice: T e po on of t eterm o this 3,661,192 5/1972 Nicholson et 144/172 patent subsequent to May 9, 1989, has been disclaimed.

May 1, 1972 App]. No.: 248,934

Primary ExarhinerDonald R. Schran Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert W. Beach [22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A rotating chipping drum carrying a spiral row of bits Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 883,038, Dec. 8, 1969, Pat, No. 3,661,192.

is mounted in a hollow body with a portion of its periphery exposed to a chipping chamber for holding log sections to be chipped. The rotative axis of the chip- V ping drum maybe inclined to urge a log section [52] 144/172, 241/91 241/93 toward one end of the chipping chamber.

- i 144/326 A lnt. B271 11/02 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures INCLINED CHIPPER This application is a division of application Ser. No. 883,038, of Thomas W. Nicholson, Ray B. .Iorgenson and Stanley Donald Vanek filed Dec. 8, I969, for Peripheral Chipper for Round Log Sections, which resulted in US. Pat. No. 3,661,192, issued May 9, 1972.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a chipper which can chip small log sections and particularly very short log sections, such as wheels, which are difficult to hold for chipping by conventional chippers.

A further object is to provide a chipper which will enable small log sections of various sizes and shapes to be fed to it automatically.

Another object is to accomplish chipping of small log sections quickly and completely.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a chipper which will produce chips of substantially uniform size and shape, and such object can be accomplished by providing an arrangement of chipping bits which will effect overlapping cuts.

FIG. I is an end elevation of one form of chipper, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of such chipper with parts broken away.

FIG. 3 is a transverse section through the chipper taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

The chipper of the present invention is adapted to cutting small log sections into chips and for this purpose includes a hollow body 1 in which a chipping drum 2 is housed. Such drum is mounted for rotation on an axle3 carrying a pulley 4 which can be rotated by one or more belts 5, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, driven by a motor 6. Small log sections, and particularly those of short axial length such as the log wheel L shown-in FIG. 2, can be delivered to the chipper by a supply conveyor 7.

The supply conveyor 7 will dump the log wheel L into the chipping chamber 8 in the upper portion of the hollow chipper body I in an attitude such that the axis of the log section extends generally parallel to the axis of the chipping drum. The axial extent of the log section is less than the corresponding width of the chipping chamber, as indicated in FIG. 2, in which the log section is shown in broken lines. Consequently, the periphery of the log wheel will substantially engage the periphery of the chipping drum. As shown in FIG. 2, the axle 3 may be tilted to incline the axis of the drum 2 so that movement of the drum periphery in contact with the periphery of the log wheel will tend to urge the log round to move down to the broken line position shown in FIG. 2 in which it is supported by thelower end wall of the chipping chamber, and consequently cannot tip over.

The chip-cutting bits 9 are arranged in a spiral row around the chipping drum 2, as shown best in FIG. 2. Adjacent bits are arranged in sufficiently overlapping relationship so that as the drum turns chips are. cut from the log wheel in successive layers.

The cutting bits 9 are received in apertures in the periphery of the drum 2, and the cutting ends of the bits project outward beyond the periphery of the drum and are spaced from the adjacent walls of the apertures to provide passages through the circumferential drum wall for chips cut from a log section. Consequently, it is necessary to remove the chips from the interior of the drum. For this purpose chip-removing means are disposed within the drum which in the chipper shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is a chip-deflector plate 10, shown best in FIG. 3 as being inclined axially of the chipping drum for scooping the chips endwise out of the drum during its rotation. Such deflector plate is supported and positioned by struts 11 and 12 secured to the chipper body.

As shown best in FIG. 3, the left wall of the chipping chamber 8 toward which the periphery of drum 2 turns is disposed in convergent relationship to the adjacent portion of the drum periphery. Rotation of the drum in the direction indicated by the arrow tends to move the log section in the direction of rotation of the drum periphery and to press the log section against such wall. Continued rotation of the drum engaging one location of the log section will cut successive layers of such location into chips so that such location of the log section will become concave complemental in curvature to the curvature of the chipping drum periphery. As more layers are removed from the log section, such section will move farther into the angle between the converging chipping chamber wall and the chipping drum periphery. lfthe log section initially is round, it eventually will assume a crescent shape in cross section, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. I

Because of the direction of rotation of the chipping drum and the effect of such direction of rotation on the movement of the log section, any chips and debris which do not pass through the apertures in the drum periphery will tend to accumulate in the angle between the converging chipping chamber wall and the drum periphery. If excessive material collects in such angle, it can be removed through an opening closed by an access door 13 pivotally mounted on the hollow body by a pivot 14 to swing between the solid-line closed position shown in FIG. 3 and open position.

We claim:

1. A peripheral chipper comprising a hollow body having therein a chipping chamber, a rotary chipping drum means mounting said chipping drum, below said chipping chamber with the upper side of the drum periphery exposed to said chipping chamber for engagement by a log section in said chipping chamber, said upper side of said chipping drum periphery sloping lengthwise for urging such a log section in said chipping chamber toward the lower portion of said drum periphery upper side, and said chipping chamber having a lower end wall disosed substantially perpendicular to said drum periphery upper side. 

1. A peripheral chipper comprising a hollow body having therein a chipping chamber, a rotary chipping drum means mounting said chipping drum, below said chipping chamber with the upper side of the drum periphery exposed to said chipping chamber for engagement by a log section in said chipping chamber, said upper side of said chipping drum periphery sloping lengthwise for urging such a log section in said chipping chamber toward the lower portion of said drum periphery upper side, and said chipping chamber having a lower end wall disosed substantially perpendicular to said drum periphery upper side. 